Later in a meeting, Afrasiab conveyed the greetings of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the King of Bhutan.
He also conveyed the best wishes of the people of Pakistan for the people of Bhutan. Afrasiab underscored the need to further consolidate Pakistan’s relations with Bhutan in all spheres, including political, trade & economic matters, and culture and tourism.
The King of Bhutan, conveyed his best wishes for the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and also for the people of Pakistan.
He underlined the need to further strengthen the friendly relations between Bhutan and Pakistan in all fields of importance, especially trade, commerce, and tourism.
Pakistan and Bhutan enjoy mutually beneficial relations. Both have been having an interaction which is rooted deep in history, when Guru Padmasambhawa, the Second Buddha, travelled to Bhutan from Swat in Pakistan.
Pakistan and Bhutan have been coordinating their positions at the UN and other multilateral fora, and are important members of the SAARC process. The Prime Minister of Bhutan paid an official visit to Pakistan as Chairman of SAARC in March 2011. Earlier, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani undertook a visit to Thimphu in April 2010 to attend the Sixteenth SAARC Summit.